More than 150 emergency personnel participated at the scene of a mock airplane crash drill Saturday at Pewamo-Westphalia Jr./Sr. High School.

Local residents bundled up in blankets and sat on bleachers in the parking lot to watch as students from the high school, who played the victims, were rescued, triaged and “transported.” Another set of students playing the same crash victims were at Sparrow Ionia Hospital, where hospital personnel then picked up their care.

After that section of the drill, firefighters worked in teams to put out fires outside and inside the plane and remove dummy victims “trapped” inside.

The drill was staged with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) mobile trainer, a 50-foot-long device that creates a number of realistic aircraft fire scenarios for local disaster exercises. The ARFF trainer was provided by Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek.

The aircraft disaster drill was the first Phil Gensterblum recalls in his 24 years with the City of Portland Ambulance Service. Gensterblum, who is director of the service, organized Saturday’s exercise.

“There were some issues that came up, but that’s why we do trainings like this,” he said. “Overall, I was pleased. It went really well.”